MEXICO: United States President George W. Bush ends his Latin American tour promising Mexico he will continue to seek immigration reform

United States President George W. Bush ends his Latin American tour promising Mexico he will continue to seek immigration reform. Bush's tour was marked by protests until the end. President George W. Bush was pressured by Mexico on Wednesday (March 14) to ease U.S. immigration laws, at the end of a Latin American tour marked by street protests and sniping from Venezuela's leftist leader. Mexican President Felipe Calderon pushed Bush to convince Congress to pass a bill that will "acknowledge the rights" of millions of illegal immigrants in the United States. "We spoke about tackling the phenomenon of immigration, a factor for prosperity for both countries with organised immigration. We recognise the effort that President Bush is making to push immigration reform in the Congress that recognises migrant workers, that permits organised and legal programs for temporary work that would the reunification of families," he said after two days of talks in the southeastern city of Merida. For Bush, it was the end a five-nation tour that he used to try to soften his image in Latin America, where the Iraq war and U.S. trade and immigration policies are deeply unpopular. "If we can have migration reform, it will make it less likely that somebody will feel like they need to sneak across our border and therefore take pressure off the border. In other words, security for the country - border security - will be enhanced by a good migration law and then it will make it easier for us to focus our assets on drugs, terrorists, criminals, and guns moving both ways," said Bush who has been trying to sway Congress on immigration reform. Bush and Calderon spoke after talks dominated by immigration, trade and how to staunch the flow of illegal drugs across the border into the United States. Calderon was expected to be a close ally for Bush but he has pushed harder than many expected for immigration reform and for Washington to do more to cut U.S. demand for drugs. "We share the necessity to have a secure border that will close the path to drugs, weapons, terrorism and open the path to commerce, investment, and prosperity. The border should be a point of coming together and not of distancing," said Calderon. More than half of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States are Mexicans. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bush's left-wing nemesis in the region, criticized the U.S. leader throughout the tour. Bush resolutely refused on Wednesday to acknowledge the anti-American rhetoric from Chavez, but said Mexico would be a leader in the region. "The President (Calderon), who is a very strong leader in Central America for example, will work with the United States and the Central American countries to develop a regional plan. It can be successful in Mexico and yet the problem can be be transferred to the south in which case we wouldn't have the security we would want," said Bush. Bush was dogged during his Latin America trip by mocking "Gringo go home" rhetoric from Chavez, while street protests at some stops showed the depth of the region's frustration with him. Several dozen protesters marched on Wednesday through central Merida, a pretty colonial city, shouting "Killer Bush" and "No more war".

ITN Source | March 15, 2007

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